People with allergies to certain foods can stay safe in a number of ways when eating at restaurants. But those who employ multiple preventive techniques at once experience the fewest problems, according to study findings presented at the recent American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting in Seattle.

For the study, researchers reviewed answers to a 25-question survey given to members of a food allergy network to identify the different methods individuals use to avoid allergic reactions. The top five tactics included alerting a waiter about their condition, ordering menu items with simple ingredients, examining food before eating, avoiding restaurants with a likelihood of contamination and checking menus online beforehand.

Scientists noted that diners who used 15 strategies on average when eating out had fewer allergic reactions than those who applied an average of six techniques.